Alina and Mal are on the run having escaped the devastation wreaked by the Darkling, but the leader of the Grisha Army is never far behind. Alina now carriers the first of Morozova's amplifiers round her neck, and the Darkling wants her power maximised by getting the other two. The search for these amplifiers, whilst trying to avoid the Darkling, is the main driver for the rest of the trilogy.

So the relationships. Honestly, could Mal stop moaning? The love of his live is trying to save the world and not become a slave to a power-hungry Grisha, but he's always thinking about what he wants, how his life doesn't fit with Alina's path, how it's not fair on him. Once Nikolai pops up, Mal also spends a portion of his time being jealous. Mal does redeem himself a bit in the third book but I just didn't feel like there was much for Alina to lose in Siege and Storm if he were to flounce off.

I really liked Nikolai though, he's humourous but also good without being too shiny perfect. He likes to think that he's perfect though! For a land so plagued by tragedy, it is so hopeful in a story to have a potential leader who would be good. It also meant that the thing that happens to him in Ruin and Rising had my heart in my throat. He elicited the feelings that I felt I should have had for Mal.